Pakistani Prme Minister Nawaz Sharif’s gas cut off over unpaid bills

PAKISTAN’S Prime Minister ordered gas to be cut off for those who had not paid their bills but he found out the hard way that he was one of them.

AAP

AAPApril 29, 201411:34pm

No longer a gas ... Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif ordered authorities to get tough on defaulters to recover billions of rupees in unpaid bills but also had his gas cut off as well.Source:News Limited

PAKISTANI authorities have disconnected gas supply to the prime minister’s official residence and the national parliament secretariat over unpaid bills.

The move was part of a drive to recover unpaid bills from defaulters in a country facing a sever energy crisis, said an official of the state-run Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited.

The company said a bill of 4.7 million rupees ($51,760) was due from the premier’s residence in the capital Islamabad.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last week ordered authorities to get tough on defaulters to recover billions of rupees in unpaid bills, in what appeared to be the first such major initiative in the country’s history.

The supply to the national parliament secretariat, offices of legislators, a federal court and a string of other government buildings was also disconnected for overdue bills totalling more than 20 million rupees, the official said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose party won parliamentary elections last year, promised to end the energy crisis that has caused power outages of up to 12 hours a day and shortages of gas for cooking and heating.

Power and gas theft is common in Pakistan and influential defaulters hardly face any legal action.

Also on Tuesday, Water and Power Minister Abid Sher Ali said he had ordered the suspension of electricity to the official residence of the president for not paying bills.